Sony unveils PlayStation AppStore

The PlayStation version of the AppStore will be called Minis and include some previously iPhone exclusive titles.

GamesCom 2009: Another Sony rumour that got confirmed in the official Sony press conference before the official opening of GamesCom in Cologne was the existence of a PlayStation equivalent of the Apple AppStore, which Sony has dubbed Minis. The other rumour was the PS3 Slim, by the way.

The Minis system will apparently slot right in to the existing PlayStation Store as nothing more than a new catergory, banishing speculation that the console manufacturer was planning an overhaul of PSN for the PSPGo.

Sony appeared hesitant to dole out many specifics on the new Minis store, but did say that it was driven by a recent shift in market demand on the PlayStation Portable line and that it would cater to users who wanted a greater quantity of ‘snackable’ content. On the developer end Sony is still eager to entice new studios and independent developers, referring back to the price cut in the PSP Devkits.

One of the few specifics that was mentioned in the announcement was that all games in the Minis category would be limited to a maximum file size of 100MB, which is apparently so that Sony can guarantee speedy downloads from PSN. 100MB is doubtlessly enough to fit a good game into, but that may prove limiting for some developers – bear in mind that the iPhone version of The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition is in excess of 300MB in size.

A brief video was run after the announcement which showed a few more familiar games that would be available in the Minis store – Fieldrunners we already knew about, but we think we might have spotted another recent iPhone hit, Minigore. However, the only games that Sony would directly refer to were Tetris and Sudoku, both from Electronic Arts.

A spokesperson for Sony also mentioned that there would be 15 games available at launch for the system and that new games would follow regularly and quickly. Let us know your thoughts in the forums.